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Excerpt from «The Silver Wind»

Elle

Beneath his feet lay the warm wood of the walkways. Mosquitoes buzzed around the yellow swamp flowers and spindly birch trees. The hills, overgrown with ancient pines, obscured the lake where Michael went, following a path strewn with fallen needles and gnarled roots.

After swimming, he settled in the shade with one or another book picked from the sanatorium’s library. Assuming that, besides him, some other space pilots also resided in the old huts around the swamp, Michael did not expect any meetings with colleagues.

“Or former colleagues,” he paused by a blooming corn lily, “because they don’t let the insane into space.”

His condition was officially considered a top-tier psychological trauma.

“Which has led to deep depression,» the doctor said, «but don’t worry because you’ll get better.”

The amiable doctor had made Michael’s depression somewhat cozy. The wicker basket of berries, appearing on his doorstep every day, and the dog with a doughnut-curled tail, visiting him after lunch, also emanated coziness. The dog would lie on its back next to the chair where Michael read another detective novel, wagging its legs. Michael tickled its warm belly, and the dog smiled.

Robotics had now reached unprecedented heights, and scientists could build any creature, from a dog to a mosquito.

“But not a human,” a chill ran down Michael’s spine, “such research is prohibited.”

He reached out to the lily, but a cool voice slipped into his ear.

“Please be careful,” said the robot, “this plant is poisonous.”

Michael injected his reply with the right dose of venom.

“I know, and I wasn’t going to touch it. Although, even if I chewed all the leaves of this bush, I would be saved. The medicine of the twenty-fourth century can reassemble people atom by atom, never mind stomach pumping.”

“Are you considering suicide?” the robot inquired, and Michael rolled his eyes.

“Of course not. It’s a joke. Humor. Look up what humor is in the thesaurus.”

His assistant, or, as Michael thought of it, the overseer, kept silent for a moment.

“A humor is a work or statement intended to entertain listeners and improve their mood,” the robot sounded puzzled. “However, I do not have moods and…”

“And take a break, buddy,” Michael pressed the button on his bracelet. “Here comes my legitimate freedom.”

The robot would shut down at night, but during the day, Michael also enjoyed a couple of hours without the intrusive presence of the invisible companion.

Michael did not mind the cameras in the hut and the device monitoring his sleep, which was now almost free from nightmares, thanks to the pills prescribed by the jovial doctor.

During the evacuation from Mars, waking at night, Michael groped around the narrow bunk in the depths of the spaceship. Finding the bed empty, he collapsed back onto the crumpled pillow.

Tonia was gone, and no force could change that. Even after writing a dozen detailed reports about the tragedy, Michael kept thinking about a frosty Martian morning when he and Tonia set out on a reconnaissance mission.

“What’s the temperature on the street?” Michael asked, pouring artificial maple syrup over fake pancakes.

“Outside,” Tonia corrected him. “However, eventually we’ll build streets here. It’s minus sixty for now, but by noon the forecast promises plus fifteen.”

“Practically summer,” Michael winked at her. “Do you think the guys stumbled upon a natural anomaly?”

Tonia scratched her short, sleep-tousled blond hair. 

“I need to see everything myself,” she replied. “Scouts are not geologists and could be mistaken.”

Michael’s scouts had taken photos of what appeared to be signs of artificial origin, and after checking them, Tonia insisted on a trip to the caves.

“Then let’s get ready,” Michael said, starting on his coffee. “It’s an hour’s journey one way.”

His hour of freedom was also coming to an end, and Michael turned on the bracelet.

“I hope you had a good rest,” the robot said.

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Amazon Description

«The Silver Wind» is an exciting mix of science fiction and fantasy short stories, set both in space and in opulent magical worlds. A courageous woman tries to save the Earth from an alien invasion, a young girl discovers her true ancestry, hidden in spell books and a supercomputer falls in love with a human.

Author Biography

Nelly Shulman is a multilingual writer and literary scholar whose work explores themes of memory, identity, and place. She is the author of three short story collections and essays. Her work has been recognized with the Andrey Platonov Essay Prize, the Beethoven Music Essay Prize, and several international residencies, including Fulbright, Hawthornden, and Château de Lavigny. She is a member of the Society of Authors (UK).